Beaches, Lighthouses, Bridges, & Waterfalls!

The Sunday morning started with an 8:15AM phone call by my next host, Maxwell Kinkade, letting me know that he would pick me up in about forty-five minutes. Who does that?

The first stop would be the waterfront town of Stratford and its beaches. Please note: Though nice to take a walk on, East Coast beaches are more appropriately known as shores as they lack surfing waves like the West Coast! After skipping rocks and searching for sea glass, we headed off to the cozy restaurant of Marnick's for lunch.

Tip: At Stratford, one must seach for sea glass a.k.a. beach glass a.k.a. mermaid's tears a.k.a. lucky tears! Originating from glass bottles, sea glass is formed from being tumbled and smoothed by sand and water.

Lying on seashells at the beaches of Stratford

Before leaving town, we stopped by Stratford Point Lighthouse. Established in 1822, the station is privately owned by the Coast Guard. Though not open to the public, one can capture great shots by land or sea.

Stratford Point Lighthouse

On the way to apple-picking, our lovely GPS took us up and down roads that were arguably trails. We were unfortunately half an hour too late and thus, headed off to Oxford. Though no locals have heard of Southford Falls State Park, it was marked as one of the top tourist attractions in Connecticut through Google search!

With its attractive waterfalls and picturesque scenes, Southford Falls proves a most secret and charming destination to visit!

One of the many waterfalls on the Eight Mile River

A typical New England covered bridge. We can tell its authentic because it's red!

We continued the drive up the Northwest Coast of Connecticut stopping whenever we glimpsed something that peaked our interest. Detours included Hodge Memorial Library & Museum to pick up a collection of free books and White Memorial Park to go deer watching.

At Max's home, the women drank wine while the men moved furniture between floors (his mother liked to say that's the way it should be!). The best part about traveling to friends' homes? Meeting the parents and Sunday night dinners! There's almost nothing better than seeing the way people grew up and hearing embarrassing stories about them from their parents!

Sunday night family dinner. Check. Game night with the brother and his girlfriend. Check. Pool, stargazing and off to bed for more adventures in Connecticut!